Ms. Kilgore grew up in Houston, Texas. Following a public school education she completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas and later a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Denver, Colorado, in 1982.
In addition to painting, her professional career has included curatorial, administrative and consultant positions at Rice University, Houston, Texas; Pembroke Gallery and Art Restoration, Houston, Texas; Nave Fine Arts Museum and the Victoria Regional Museum Association, Victoria, Texas. She served for six years on the Dean's Fine Arts Advisory Council, University of Texas, Austin. She has also taught art at the elementary, high school and college levels. Her work has been exhibited in several national juried shows, and is in public and private collections both in the States and Europe. For a complete list, please contact the artist.
Clara is married to Alasdair Gilchrist, M.D. After living in Houston, Texas for many years they moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2014 where they now live year round.
"Until the last few years my studio work had been primarily commisioned portraiture. Along the way I investigated other areas, but it wasn't until retiring from portraits completely that I committed to other directions of painting and drawing. The examples here represent them: Mixed media (oil on canvas with attached steel plates) reflecting the passing away and emerging of orders; ink paintings informed by Chinese and Japanese screen and scroll painting; and oils which reflect my interest in nature and natural phenomena. Although no longer doing them, I've included some portrait examples as a part of the story."
Clara Kilgore, July 2016
Education
Bellaire Senior High School (public) 1960-1963 Houston, Texas
Bachelor of Fine Arts 1967 Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas
Master of Fine Arts, Painting 1982 University of Denver Denver, Colorado Thesis: A Semiotic Study of 20th Century of Painting and Music
Private Collections
( * indicates paintings other than portraits, +*indicates a portrait plus other work)| M/M Gerald Albright |
M/M Joseph Etzler |
M/M William Stewart, Jr.(2) |
| M/M Stefano de Asarta |
M/M James de George |
Mrs. Gayle Stout |
| Mrs. Stephen Bell * |
M/M Alessandro Guidi di Bagno |
Sheena Stubbers, M.D. |
| M/M Phillipe Blavier |
Mrs. Elizabeth Haukohl |
Mr. George Thiret (2) |
| M/M Michael Berlowski |
Estate of M/M Neal Heaps |
Mrs. Pam Wallace |
| M/M Jason Campbell |
Dr/M Daniel Jenkins |
Dr/M Richard Weilburg |
| M/M Ron Coban |
M/M John W. Johnson |
M/M George Woodman *** |
| Dr/Mrs Benjamin Cohen(2) |
M/M David Moriere(2) |
Mr. Henri de Ybarrondo |
| Mrs. Carolyn Corbett |
M/M Stephen J. Kleberg (3) |
Ms. Judy Youens |
| Dr/M Gary Cox |
Estate of Mr. Maurice Le Bourg |
M/M David Zaharias(3) |
| M/M Ted Dinnerstein |
M/M John McDonald |
|
| M/M William Dwyer |
M/M Paul Sorenson |
|
Public Collections
Amoco Corporation
Houston, Texas
E. F. Hutton
Denver, Colorado
Good Colorado, Inc.
Denver, Colorado
Vail, Coloprado
John M. Kilgore Educational Center
Baytown, Texas
Transco Energy Corporation
Group Shows
Texas Art Celebration 1986
Houston, Texas
Juror: Dr. I Michael Danoff, Director
Contemporary Arts Museum
Chicago, Illinois
Texas Art Competition 1985
Juror: Jane Livingston, Chief Curator and Associate Director
Corcoran Gallery of Art
Washington, DC
McAllen International Museum Regional Invitational 1984
McAllen international Museum
McAllen, Texas
Introductions 1983
Meredith Long
Galleries
Houston, Texas
Mid America Biennial Exhibition 1982
Owensboro Museum of Fine Art
Owensboro, Kentucky
Juror: Abram Lerner, Director
Hirschorn Museum
Washington, DC